Utiliser "soft-pedal" dans une phrase

1. The media did note an outcry, but they soft-pedaled it, and the issue soon died

2. Soft-pedaling the issue might serve some to buttress their secular image but it fails, say, the Indian social harmony in the long run

3. “I don’t know about this guy Burke, but I think with our guys and Dakin’s guys we could soft-pedal him if he gets rank